Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Papaya Heals Burns

12.10.2005

Inhabitants of South-East Asia and Africa have been using papaya fruit and leaves for a long time to heal wounds and burns. Now, Russian scientists have confirmed curative properties of the exotic fruit.

The papaya-based medication accelerates healing of burn wounds, as the fruit possesses antiphlogistic and antibacterial action. That has been confirmed by the researches of Russian State Medical University. It has turned out that papaya weakens the action of enzyme excreted by pathogens in the wound. Pathogens excrete the enzyme to protect themselves from the enemies – phagocyte cells that destroy bacteria. In the presence of papaya, these purifying cells find themselves in an advantageous position, and efficiency of their work increases. Therefore, the wound will depurate and heal up quicker. In addition, the precious fruit does not allow leucocytes to produce too much oxygen and nitrogen, which further hurt the wound.

The researchers made these conclusions, having carried out experiments with rats: the animals were divided into two groups, in one of which the papaya gel was applied to burns, and in the other –was not. As a result, lucky were the rats whose wounds had been treated by papaya, the wounds got much less inflamed and healed up quicker. The action was noticeable already on day eight, and on day 12, their wound area was twice less than that of the rats deprived of the curative gel.

The scientists have discovered that the papaya medication reduced by twice the oxygen and nitrogen production by leucocytes (oxygen and nitrogen hurt the wound). And bacteria extermination efficiency increased by 500 times – this is, however, fair only for the bacteria that are able of producing the protective enzyme, as the action of papaya is particularly targeted at the enzyme, not bacteria. As per the enzymes that are required to heal the wounds, the fruit acts as stimulator for them.

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